1. Field of the Invention
The present disclosure is related to catalyst material containing zeolite embedded in a catalyst support, and particularly to a microporous zeolite embedded in a mesoporous support.
2. Background of the Art
Most of today""s hydrocarbon processing technologies is based on zeolite catalysts. Zeolite catalysts are well known in the art and possess well-arranged pore systems with uniform pore sizes. However, these materials tend to possess either only micropores or only mesopores. Micropores are defined as pores having a diameter of less than about 2 nm. Mesopores are defined as pores having a diameter ranging from about 2 nm to about 50 nm.
Because such hydrocarbon processing reactions are mass-transfer limited, a catalyst with ideal pore size will facilitate transport of the reactants to active catalyst sites and transport of the products out of the catalyst.
A material useful in catalytic processing of hydrocarbons is provided herein. The material comprises a zeolite, and a porous inorganic oxide which includes at least 97 volume percent mesopores based on the micropores and mesopores of the inorganic oxide. The zeolite is preferably a microporous zeolite such as for example, zeolite beta, zeolite Y, or ZSM-5. A method for making and method for using the material are described herein.
The catalytic material described herein advantageously facilitates the transport of reactants to active catalyst sites and is about 5 times more active than the zeolite used alone.